A European Union-backed climate resilience project in north-central Vietnam has completed a four-year technical assistance phase designed to strengthen local flood protection and wastewater management.
The Climate Resilient Urban Infrastructure in North-central Viet Nam (CRUIV) project works across four provinces — Ninh Bình, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh — and is focused on preparing communities for heavy rains, flooding and related public health risks, according to a statement from the EU Delegation to Vietnam and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
The technical support phase was funded by a €5 million EU grant delegated to AFD and was used for project implementation and capacity building, including training for local engineers, urban planners and community leaders and tools to manage flood risks and operate wastewater systems.
“Infrastructure is only as resilient as the people who manage it,” Kristina Bünde, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Vietnam, said in the statement.
AFD stated the project combines financial resources and technical expertise with Vietnamese partners, and described the work as climate adaptation financing in its remarks on the end of the technical assistance phase.
Flood protection and wastewater access
As physical construction continues, the project is expected to improve flood safety for about 116,000 residents, and provide more than 110,000 people with access to modern wastewater treatment, the statement said.
Nguyen Cao Son, Vice Chairman of the Ninh Binh Provincial People’s Committee, noted that extreme weather and urban flooding are “urgent, daily realities” for communities and linked the project’s benefits to flood protection and wastewater services in the statement.
Total investment funding for CRUIV is just over €122.6 million provided as an official development assistance loan from AFD, alongside about €35 million in counterpart funds, according to the background information accompanying the statement.
